Feng Yuan turned to look at him, his gaze falling on the mask in Mu Hanjiang’s hand.

Mu Hanjiang took a deep breath and stated firmly: “You knew she escaped from me, and you know where she is.”

Feng Yuan shifted his gaze to Mu Hanjiang’s face, answering leisurely: “What do you think?”

At this moment, Mu Hanjiang felt his chest was about to burst open: “You handed her over to me just to trick my mother and me into testifying for you?”

Feng Yuan coldly replied: “I didn’t hand her over to you. She wanted to go with you, that’s why she went!”

The implication was that although Mu Hanjiang had used Xiaoying’s secret impersonation of the Crown Prince to threaten him, and had surrounded Prince Ruixiang’s mansion with men.

But if Xiaoying hadn’t agreed to go with Mu Hanjiang, he couldn’t have taken her away!

“As for why your mother was willing to testify, you should ask her. Someone like her, who’s accustomed to weighing pros and cons, must have carefully considered that offending the Western Palace would be less severe than bearing the blame for poisoning a prince, which is why she came to testify. What, do you expect me to be grateful to you, mother and son?”

Mu Hanjiang instinctively felt betrayed. But the source of this anger and where it should flow, he had no clue.

Feng Yuan seemed to see through Mu Hanjiang’s inner struggle hidden in the darkness and reached out to take the mask from his hand. While examining it, he said: “What are you worried about? Are you worried that Xiaoying will disturb the Feng family’s imperial household?”

Mu Hanjiang pursed his lips: “She’s not that kind of person. But for such a bold young lady, if what she’s done becomes known to His Majesty, you know the consequences! Besides, how will you bring her before His Majesty in the future?”

Feng Yuan didn’t answer him, but looked into Mu Hanjiang’s eyes and thoughtfully said: “Young Master Mu, actually you’re not worried about me marrying her, but rather, you don’t want her to marry me, right?”

It sounded like nonsense, but Mu Hanjiang seemed to have his innermost thoughts exposed. His pupils dilated slightly, and after a moment’s pause, he gritted his teeth: “You… what nonsense are you talking about? Yes, I’m more concerned about her than you. Because you’re harming her! You know her family background is humble. Why, when her family has finally reunited, do you stubbornly insist on keeping her here? Can’t you let her go back and live a good life?”

“Let her go? Like you planned to do? I’m not you. The ten years of suffering in the Desolate Palace were like being tormented in hell. I only know that what I hold in my own hands is real. But what about you? Every time you see her, your eyes are fixed on her, yet due to various constraints, you’re content to be a gentleman? Mu Hanjiang, you’re truly like your mother, so hypocritical that you even deceive yourself. When did you start having feelings? Could it be when she was still pretending to be the Crown Prince…”

“Enough!” Mu Hanjiang hadn’t expected Feng Yuan to suddenly expose him, and his usually refined face showed rare embarrassment and awkwardness.

Feng Yuan laughed lightly: “Regardless of what the young master thinks, stay away from the future Princess Ruixiang, or don’t blame me for turning against you!”

As he spoke, the fierce King of Hell mask was crushed into powder in Feng Yuan’s large palm.

Mu Hanjiang regained his composure and looked down at the mask, angrily saying, “This was evidence. How dare you destroy it on your own?”

Feng Yuan dusted off his hands: “What use is something that’s been soiled?”

“You…” Mu Hanjiang didn’t understand why he said this.

Feng Yuan couldn’t be bothered to explain further to Mu Hanjiang and turned to stride out of the palace.

Mu Hanjiang watched his departing figure, his hands slightly clenched, his mind turning over Feng Yuan’s question: “When did you start having feelings?”

When? He didn’t know either. It was just that today, when Feng Yuan suddenly proposed to marry Yan Xiaoying, he found it unacceptable. Why? Even though the Crown Prince had more constraints, he disregarded everything and persisted stubbornly.

How could there be so much willfulness in this world? Feng Yuan’s actions would only harm others and himself!

…

Less than an hour after this storm in His Majesty’s study, Xiaoyan Mountain Villa received a secret report about the case hearing in the study.

“He only asked His Majesty for a marriage decree?” The master was polishing a seven-stringed zither, using egg whites to maintain the silk strings.

“Which noble lady did he ask for?”

Fan Shiqi, sitting in a wheelchair, said softly: “A concubine of merchant background he’s keeping in his mansion, not a noble lady.”

The master laughed softly: “He truly understands how to conceal his light! If he had sought to marry a high-born lady who would benefit him, it would certainly arouse His Majesty’s suspicion. But to avoid suspicion, he married such a lowly woman—not something an ordinary person would do! What a pity! Such a disposition, if it could be used by me, would be far better than the waste of a mother and son in the Western Palace!”

Fan Shiqi now felt pain in his limbs whenever Feng Yuan was mentioned. Although his severed tendons had been reconnected, he had lost his strength, becoming essentially crippled. Now he could only be responsible for gathering intelligence at the villa.

“As for Duke Huo Buxun of Wei Country, he has temporarily left by boat. But since he couldn’t take Consort Yi with him, he asked someone to inquire whether the master could arrange for him to come to the Dafeng capital again.”

The master finished maintaining the zither strings and lightly fanned them with a fan: “Among all the connections I’ve cultivated, the two brothers from Wei have been the most worthwhile, unexpectedly allowing the once destitute brothers to take control of Wei. Unfortunately, Huo Buxun is ungrateful, just like Feng Yuan—both are wolves that can’t be domesticated. It’s good that his younger brother is blinded by lust, leaving a weakness. What a pity! I had hoped he would spark conflict between the two countries, yet it ended so ambiguously… Have we found out how Consort Yi returned to the palace?”

Fan Shiqi tensed and quickly said, “I’ve arranged more people around the Duke. I learned that the one who rescued Consort Yi was the woman who saved Ge Danian and his wife in Yuxiu Village. It’s said she’s also the supreme expert who killed Silver Fragments, using techniques that can counter the Fan family’s blade techniques—her skills are extraordinary!”

The master’s hand paused, and the hooded head raised slightly in surprise: “A woman?”

Fan Shiqi said, “I suspect this woman must be a death guard sent by Xiao Tianyang to the Crown Prince! Such an expert must have a name and reputation. If we search through the Xiao family disciples, we’ll certainly find something!”

The master coldly snorted: “A female expert from the Xiao family? Xiao Tianyang has always been particular, and with Ye Zhanxue as a precedent, he wouldn’t accept any woman inferior to the Ye family into his school. When did he ever take female disciples? Why have you never reported this? Fan Shiqi, if your brain is as weak as your limbs, you truly are a useless cripple…”

Fan Shiqi was startled and quickly said, “It’s only because I have many people planted among the Xiao disciples. But after he moved to the mountains in the suburban area, he didn’t bring any disciples with him. I’ll immediately arrange for someone to extract information about this woman from Xiao Tianyang!”

The master laughed lightly again: “Several plans, all nearly ruined at the last moment. There must be a loose end in this chess game that I haven’t anticipated. We need to find it and crush it before continuing. Don’t you agree?”

Fan Shiqi repeatedly agreed and was about to turn and leave when the master pointed at the famous zither and said: “Send this zither to Consort Yi through someone from the Tang family.”

This time Consort Yi wasn’t deposed, which was unexpected, but it was also acceptable. The Shang mother and son were worthless, so he needed to cultivate some useful pawns.

And Consort Yi’s past affair with Huo Buxun was a ready-made handle.

Hopefully, Consort Yi would understand the situation; otherwise, her aunt in the Cold Palace would be a warning example for her!

…

At this moment, Yan Xiaoying was unaware of the changing winds within and beyond the palace.

After seeing Tang Mi off at the Imperial Temple, with the consort returning to the palace and the city gates reopening, she bought a set of four-season flower cakes and took Xiaowu to visit Elder Xiao Tianyang in the mountains.

This time, after fighting opponents at Five-Li Slope, Xiaoying finally appreciated the effort Elder Xiao had invested in her, so she naturally bought some pastries as a thank-you gift.

Seeing the little girl’s change from her previous constant desire to escape to now attentively waiting on him, Xiao Tianyang was quite pleased and immediately declared he would teach Xiaoying another set of martial techniques.

Xiaoying diligently brewed a cup of tea for the elder and asked: “Elder Xiao, do you know what Xiaoyan Mountain Villa is really about?”

Xiao Tianyang frowned slightly: “It’s just a business that operates in both legal and illegal realms. Iron mining, human trafficking—there’s nothing that Villa won’t do, which is why their connections run deep and they’re untouchable. As for the villa’s master, I’ve never seen them, though the manager is called Fan Shiqi. A’Ruan used to have close dealings with them, and I advised him several times, but he wouldn’t listen. You should advise him more; he seems to listen to you.”

Xiaoying pondered thoughtfully and asked: “But I always feel that this ‘master’ was also familiar with the late Princess Ye. Do you know anyone else who was close to Princess Ye? Someone who deeply understood her family affairs after marriage? And Princess Anqing… what was her relationship with His Majesty before she married Duke Ding?”

Xiao Tianyang hadn’t expected this young lady to ask about such old matters and felt somewhat melancholic: “Too many people were close to Zhanxue. Her temperament was nothing like Feng Yuan’s silent gourd—she loved making friends. Before she married, many admired her. Even Xiao Yuzhi’s husband once liked Zhanxue…”

Xiao Yuzhi was Princess Anqing’s maiden name.

At this point, Xiao Tianyang realized his slip of tongue, feeling he shouldn’t have gossiped about his niece’s family affairs.

Xiaoying dug up another piece of gossip: “So Duke Ding also liked Feng Yuan’s mother back then?”

Xiao Tianyang was also an admirer of Ye Zhanxue, but showed no jealousy, instead saying with immense pride: “Anyone who saw Zhanxue, any man who wasn’t blind, who wouldn’t like her? But Zhanxue was no ordinary woman—she could only be admired from afar, never approached!”

Xiaoying grew even more curious: “If Princess Ye was such an extraordinary woman, why did she marry His Majesty?”

Although Emperor Chunde was extraordinarily handsome in his youth, Ye Zhanxue shouldn’t have been a shallow woman who valued only appearances, right?

Xiao Tianyang sighed slightly: “I didn’t understand before, but gradually came to realize that Zhanxue wasn’t marrying a man, but her grand ambition!”

“What? She wanted to be Empress?”

“Not at all. Zhanxue often lamented that many marvelous mountains and waters were in Wei Country. Unfortunately, due to internal turmoil in the previous dynasty, Wei’s territory was fragmented by traitors, and the old king of Wei used his military recklessly, constantly harassing the borders. With the two countries hostile, traveling to enjoy Wei’s landscapes was extremely difficult. She thought, if one day Wei could be unified, what a fulfillment of her life’s wishes! And who could help her achieve this dream but a man of the Feng family? So that little Feng Qishu surrounded Zhanxue all day, painting grand pictures. The little lady was ultimately deceived by sweet words!”

Back then, that old fellow, relying on his handsome appearance that everyone liked, deliberately presented himself as sharing Zhanxue’s aspirations, going to great lengths to please her, making Zhanxue believe she had found a kindred spirit.

But after becoming Emperor, what he did was political balancing, maintaining equilibrium among noble families to stabilize his imperial position. The conquest of Wei became increasingly distant.

And when Ye Zhanxue encountered misfortune and discovered her husband wasn’t the partner she had envisioned, it was already too late.

The Ye and Feng families were too deeply entangled, trapping her in a quagmire until finally, after childbirth, she fell gravely ill, lingered on her sickbed, and died of depression.

At the end, Master Xiao sighed: “If only she hadn’t married… how much better it would have been…”

Xiaoying listened with her chin propped up, finally understanding Master Xiao’s feelings for Princess Ye. This beloved woman existed in his heart like a deity to be worshipped.

Thus, when someone liked him, not only was he not angry, but he thought it was natural—after all, a divine being is for people to admire but not approach.

In this respect, Feng Yuan’s temperament was far inferior to Master Xiao’s! Whenever a man appeared near her, Feng Yuan would get jealous, behaving as if someone were trying to steal his winter clothes and food, guarding it frighteningly.

After chatting with Elder Xiao for too long, Xiaoying simply spent the night on the mountain.

Early the next morning, before she even opened her eyes, she felt a cold air entering her blanket, chilling Xiaoying so much that she jerked awake.

She saw Feng Yuan lying beside her, bringing the cold with him.

Xiaoying moved away, somewhat disgustedly, trying to hide as deep as possible in the blanket: “What are you doing? It’s too cold! Don’t touch me!”

But the Crown Prince ignored her completely, reaching out to pull Xiaoying into his arms, then turning over to cover her.

Xiaoying, feeling frozen, angrily pounded his chest.

Feng Yuan held her tight, deliberately rubbing his cold face against hers.

Xiaoying couldn’t help but bite his face, causing Feng Yuan to laugh lightly: “Are you a puppy?”

Xiaoying simply wrapped her arms around him, shamelessly snuggling and asking: “Has the poisoning been reported to His Majesty? He won’t dismiss it lightly, will he?”

Feng Yuan snorted: “After Feng Qiting entered the Ministry of Personnel, he sold official positions and made a fortune. Did he think his father didn’t know? A few days ago, an official he promoted caused a major disaster in Zhenhai, falsely accusing people of recovering the money paid for the positions. Unfortunately, he wronged the nephew of Elder Teng’s student. That corrupt official thought the victim was just a nameless poor scholar, not knowing he was the nephew of the great reclusive scholar Kong Juan. So after the false accusations, Elder Teng forwarded a detailed account of the events to His Majesty’s desk.”

Xiaoying blinked: “The great scholar Kong, who has lived in seclusion for years, has long been removed from the world of fame and fortune. How could he immediately connect with Elder Teng at court? And report so promptly?”

There must have been someone who gave a push at the right moment.

Feng Yuan candidly said, “Zhenhai is not far from Li County. Tang Mingjiang, at my request, has been monitoring that corrupt official’s activities. He helped the scholar collect evidence and contacted my people to bring him to the capital.”

What rat doesn’t steal food? As long as the right target was identified and waited for patiently, success would come.

Now, this case had spread throughout the academies in various prefectures. Rumors about the Second Prince selling official positions were rising dramatically, with demands for the Ministry of Personnel to thoroughly investigate the matter.

After all, the offending official turned out to be barely literate, and the scholar had been imprisoned precisely for mocking him as an incompetent official during a land dispute.

Xiaoying understood now. Feng Yuan had long held evidence of Consort Shang’s persecution of Princess Ye, but had kept it hidden, waiting for the right opportunity.

After all, Consort Shang in the Western Palace had enjoyed His Majesty’s favor for many years. Even if Feng Yuan had many grievances, with the old friend already gone and family scandals best kept private, Emperor Chunde would likely downplay the matter and avoid dealing a fatal blow to the Western Palace.

But if the Western Palace was implicated in state affairs, that could cause massive repercussions; even the most favored woman would become insignificant in the face of national interests.

Now, the Second Prince had caused a major disaster, and His Majesty could no longer tolerate him.

This was the fundamental reason why Feng Yuan suddenly attacked today, and why Consort Shang of the Western Palace could be suppressed in one stroke.

“If they thoroughly investigate the Second Prince’s selling of official positions, will Tang Mingjiang be implicated?”

“Tang Mingjiang ranked first in the promotion examination, and his test papers were submitted and sealed. With such a ranking, he should have been promoted to a better place. But he voluntarily chose a poor county that no one wanted to go to, and in a short time, he led the people to solve the local water channel blockage problem, winning the hearts of the people. Even if he claimed to have bribed the Second Prince to buy his position, probably no one would believe it.”

Hearing this, Xiaoying breathed a sigh of relief, then asked mischievously: “Our dear Father Emperor loves to compensate with official positions and titles. Seeing how much suffering you’ve endured, didn’t he offer you an official position as compensation?”

Back when she was impersonating the Crown Prince, she had merely refused a marriage arranged by Empress Tang, received a beating, and, by playing the victim, exchanged it for the lucrative position of Shao Fu.

Now with Feng Yuan, such a thoroughly miserable child, even if he asked to enter the Ministry of War, Emperor Chunde would surely agree, right?

Feng Yuan smiled: “I asked for something better…”

Xiaoying curiously asked: “What position?”

“You’ll know in the future…”

Feng Yuan felt that, after not seeing this young lady for many days, this was a time for the two of them to be alone. To continue talking about scheming and intrigue would be a waste.

So he lowered his head and kissed Xiaoying’s mouth firmly.

Whenever they were separated for too long, Feng Yuan’s kisses always came more domineeringly, allowing no rejection, as if her lips and tongue contained a life-sustaining elixir that needed to be carefully savored, without wasting a bit.

When the kiss finally subsided, Xiaoying, somewhat breathless, finally pushed him away with a slap, then buried her face in his strong arms, inhaling the faint cold fragrance of soaked snow, somewhat reluctantly saying: “I can’t stay in the capital in the future, and I won’t be able to see you often. When I find a place to settle, come see me if you have time.”

She had been recognized by Mu Hanjiang. If she appeared openly in the capital again, Mu Hanjiang would certainly challenge her.

So, before Princess Anqing and her adoptive father’s old scores were settled, Xiaoying planned to find a place to settle in the suburban towns.

Usually, when such topics came up, Feng Yuan would have a gloomy expression, quite unwilling.

Xiaoying was already prepared to comfort him, but unexpectedly, this time, Feng Yuan seemed to have reached a new level of transcendence, actually calmly saying: “Alright, I’m free lately. I’ll accompany you to find a suitable place.”

This was quite unexpected for Xiaoying, who found Feng Yuan unusually agreeable today. It made her feel somewhat unaccustomed.

He had told His Majesty that the young lady had left the capital and would only return with an imperial decree.

He used the excuse of going to bring the young lady back to the capital, which was perfect for accompanying Xiaoying to play around nearby for a few days.

As for why he didn’t tell Xiaoying that he had already requested a marriage decree, it was because he understood this young lady’s temperament too well.

Did he not know her perfunctory tone that day?

If the meat wasn’t fully cooked in the pot, how could he easily lift the lid and let the cooked meat fly away?